All posts tagged Socorro Ramos

Encountering new amulets is always a unique and wonderful experience. Being one of the instruments to make the amulet available to some people is even a bigger blessing. Just recently another powerful wealth amulet was introduced in this blog, the amulet is called the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet, and while it is a fairly new amulet to be read about, it is technically an old amulet since the instruction of it was found by my Guru Lama about 20 years ago in a Tantric Buddhist Scripture, whose original copy is said to have been written by high lama in Tibet approximately 1,200 years ago. This means, the amulet itself has been existing at the very least 1,200 years or maybe even more. There were several initiation for an amulet in the said Tantric Buddhist Scripture, and several are in use now, however, as to why this particular amulet has not been regularly used, nobody knows.

Although that was the first time Guru Lama made the amulet, it was definitely not the last. From time to time, he will make the amulet for some people who badly need it. And today, I will share one of the stories whom Guru Lama has blessed by making this amulet for that person.

Chun Qiet (CQ) is a Malaysian – Chinese who was born in Singapore. His parents are both devout Buddhist and are Sangha members of the temple where Guru Lama serves as Abbot. His family would always go to temple and Guru Lama knows the family quite well. One day, tragedy strike, CQ’s family had an accident and both of CQ’s parents died.

CQ was left with his father’s business. But CQ was only 19 then and he is not familiar with the business. An uncle came to help, but after 4 years they soon found out that he is not capable of running his brother’s business and suggested to CQ to just sell the business. Since CQ is close to Guru Lama, he sought him out and asked for blessings. CQ confessed that if he doesn’t sell the business he might be left with nothing. He might have to sell their house. But at the same time he confessed that he doesn’t want to sell his father’s business because he feels that it is his father’s legacy.

Guru Lama doesn’t agree that CQ’s father’s legacy is the business because he believes the CQ’s father’s legacy is CQ himself, who has proven himself to be a responsible and good young man.

After that conversation that Guru Lama had with CQ, he decided to make the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet for CQ.

Note: That was not the second time Guru Lama made the amulet; he has made it for several other people.

After receiving the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet, CQ was approached by an old friend of his father to ask about his welfare and the business. CQ opened up about his dilemma, and surprisingly this ‘uncle’ offered to invest in the business so CQ can help bring it back up, but on top of that he offered to help in the business. CQ’s uncle was initially reluctant because he was afraid that his brother’s friend would just take over the business. But somehow CQ realized that he got nothing to lose and he decided to just plunge into it, besides he felt that the amulet would help him.

Well, it did. That was 14 years ago. CQ is now again the sole owner of the business he inherited from his father. He has since made the business bigger. His father’s only guided him in the business for 3 years after which he gradually left the business until it was made official thru legal papers again 7 years after he invested and ‘meddled’ in the business. CQ has since then ‘bought him out’ of the business again, obviously this was done amicably. CQ firmly believes that it was because of the amulet that he was fortunate enough to be reacquainted with his father’s friend.

King Vaisravana a powerful Buddhist wealth god is the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Guru Lama explains that the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet is not an amulet that gives you a quick rich blessing. Although, he has seen this happened also. However, he said the main effect of the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet is protection; protection that you don’t lose your wealth or money, but it is also helps you create your wealth by leading you to the right people and to the right sources. Guru Lama explains that in “Maha Biddhuya Vaircona Abihidisambohi Vikurvitadthisnana Vaipulya Sudrentaha Raja Nama Dharma – Paryaya”, the Tantric Buddhist Scripture or book where he found the guideline for the initiation of the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet, it clearly states that this particular wealth amulet is an amulet that helps gather wealth sources for you, then helps you actualize your wealth, after which it will stabilize it and makes it a continuous process to help your wealth grow bigger and bigger. Thus it is imperative that the container is a cylindrical metal to represent continuity and stability. What does this mean? It means it is unique in such a way that it doesn’t pull out from your bazi or karma or own luck the money, but rather it creates wealth luck for you. Other amulets like the Vajrapani Ruel, which is mainly a protective amulet but has a very high percentage of wealth luck manifesting features, will bring wealth luck to you if you have wealth luck base on your bazi or karma. Our life are pre – determined, but this doesn’t mean that it is only pre – determined on a single path, it is pre – determined with various paths, the normal is 3 – 4 paths, sometimes more, but there are times that it is only 2. However, admittedly there is a single path is more dominant than all the other paths. And what the Vajrapani Ruel and the other amulet does is get your wealth luck from all the other paths. The Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet is unique in such a way that even if there is no wealth luck in all the ‘paths’ of your life, it creates it for you. So in a way it changes your wealth destiny. So this amulet is very good for people who absolutely don’t have wealth luck.Nevertheless, for those who have wealth luck already but are unable to tap into it, the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet helps pull those luck for you, make it attainable and then creates a new path for you so that it becomes sustainable and continuous, it is not a “one time, big time” thing.

Inside the metal container are the consecrated mantras of King Vaisravana, the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings, and a known wealth god, with the consecrated mantras of the Yaksa (also spelled as Yaksha) wealth gods: Green Dzambhala, White Dzambhala, Yellow Dzambhala, Red Dzambhala, and Blue Dzambhala/Black Dzambhala!

The mantras were printed under strict Mahayana guidelines found in the Tantric Buddhist book and then consecrated under strict Mahayana – Hinayana initiations. It was then sealed under special prayers and mantras that a high lama like Guru Lama can chant.

Some of you might be asking why create a wealth amulet. That is because whether we accept it or not we are living in a time where there is a lot of uncertainty and money problems or financial problems seems to becoming more common. We all want and need financial blessings or money blessings and there is nothing wrong with it. It boils down to the intent and purpose; those are the things that determine the goodness or evilness of having money.

Majority of my readers are Christians, which is ironic because a lot of those attack my site as evil are also Christians, and I’m sure a lot of you will be asking whether isn’t this bad because ‘money is the root of evil’.

Money is not the root of evil. Money is simply that money, it’s a tool. It’s just like a computer or an iron or a chair or car, how we use it makes it evil or good. We are the root of evil, but we are also definitely the root of goodness. What we make of it determines whether it becomes evil or not.

To further answer whether money is bad, or wanting to be wealthy is bad or not, allow me to share something with you.

There is a silent but big number of theologist and scholars who believes that Christianity actually evolved from Buddhism. I have written about this in the past but to briefly put it, Christianity existed about 500 to 1000 years after Buddhism. And the similarities are simply astounding. For example, the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are very similar to the concept of the Holy Trinity of Buddhism which consists of Amitabha Buddha (who even is not considered as Shakyamuni Buddha’s father is actually an ‘older’ Buddha and was the one who sent Bodhisattva Vajrapani to protect Sakyamuni Buddha on the eve of his full enlightenment), Buddha Sakyamuni (who is the Buddha of our world, who became human first and it has to be noted, if there is a tempting of Jesus Christ, there was also a tempting of Sakyamuni Buddha on the eve of his enlightenment), and Bhaysajyaguru Buddha or better known as Medicine Buddha (which is the only celestial Buddha, a Buddha that didn’t assume a human physical form). As you can see one can see that here this three Buddhas is similar to the Holy Trinity of the Christians.

Furthermore, the concept of the Holy Mother or the Virgin Mother can be akin to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who became Kuan Yin Bodhisattva. Even the white dress with the veil is very much similar. Not to mention her ascension is very similar to the ascension story not of Bodhisattva Kuan Yin but rather of Buddha Sakyamuni’s earthly mother.

Not only that, the concept of Second Coming is very similar to the concept of the coming of the next Buddha, which is Maitreya Buddha. I can go on and on about the other similarities but I think that is a topic for another post.

I say this because I find it surprising the despite of the many similarities, one of the major difference is how one looks at money or wealth. Most Christians whether Catholic or otherwise are not comfortable talking about wanting to have more money or increasing their wealth. That is despite of the fact churches are quite rich. In Buddhism, there is nothing wrong in wanting more money or having the desire to increase wealth. In fact, Buddhism teaches that wealthy people have good karma, it may or may not be from this life but it can be from past life or past lives. Also, being wealthy makes it easier to practice Dharma and to become kinder and helpful to other people. I’m not saying that it is a prerequisite, but what I’m saying is that it is a good tool to make oneself become more compassionate and be helpful.

Allow me to share a story that supposedly happened thousand of year ago:

Lama Atisha, the revered lama and Mahasiddha, came across an old man, dying of starvation in Bodghaya. Lama Atisha offered his own flesh, cut from his body, to save the old man. But the old man said, “How can I eat a monk’s flesh?” Lama Atisha felt helpless in the face of this suffering. In Lama Atisha’s moment of despair, Chenrezeig (Guan Yin), the Compassionate One, appeared to Atisha and said, “Out of my eye, will manifest Jambhala, the Buddha of wealth, to help suffering beings. I shall alleviate their poverty so they will not be distracted from practicing the good heart.”

This is just one version of the timeless story of Jambhala, a “wealth deity,” a profoundly simple story that illustrates why wealth is not necessarily the root of all evils. Again, I would like to bring your attention to the statement that says: I SHALL ALLEVIATE THEIR POVERTY SO THEY WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED FROM PRACTICING THE GOOD HEART. For me this is very important.

Note: The use of Buddha of Wealth is debatable whether it was really the term use. However, some scholars argue that sometimes Buddha is use every time there was selfless act done out of extreme compassion.

Buddhism is all about non – materialistic, and I think it’s teaching about wealth and being non – materialistic perfectly compliment each other. If you are wealthy and is non – materialistic then you have practiced or is practicing one of the greatest dharma.

When Jonathan Ciliberto, a famous writer and critic of books especially Buddhist books, reviewed the book “A Shower of Jewels: Deities of Wealth” he wrote that “a lack of money is an obstacle to practice” to dharma or Buddhism. He further stated that, “Poverty itself, can make practice difficult. It is difficult enough to find birth in the precious human realm, our opportunity to practice the Dharma, without adding to suffering with the burden of poverty. One of the great perfections of practice is generosity—helping all sentient being. Instead of thinking of wealth as selfish (or feeling guilt about its accumulation), we should instead consider the Buddhist concept that wealth can be a virtuous means to help others.”

In Christianity or even in the West (generally speaking) there is some stigma attached to the idea of accumulating wealth when discussing spirituality and generosity.

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche, during a teaching at Gaden Choling explained that in eastern countries wealth practice is not frowned upon as it might be in western cultures. (I would like to clarify that eastern here refers to non – Christian countries). He further added that while meditating on and trying to accumulate wealth might be perceived as the opposite of generosity, as always with Buddhist philosophy, it comes down to intention. If the intention is to achieve virtuous deeds like generosity, healing, relieving the suffering of others and oneself, then wealth practice and accumulation is a meritorious deed.

The Vaisavana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet has the consecrated copies of the mantras of King Vaisravana of the Four Heavenly Kings and the mantras of the Five Dzambhalas. Furthermore, there are some special ingredients in powder form that are included to add to the potency of the amulet. Before it is sealed it is furthered consecrated on the image of The Four Heavenly Kings.It is placed in a metal case, not just for its durability and protection but according to the Tantric Buddhist Scripture book where Guru Lama got the instructions for this amulet, it has to be placed in cylindrical metal case to symbolize continuity and stability. Approximately 1.5 inches in height.

In the book “World of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion”, which was authored by Marilyn Rhie, David Jackson and Robert A.F. Thurman, the father of Hollywood actress Uma Thurman who happens to be a good friend of Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism scholar and professor, it stated that, “These deities of prosperity are… benevolent, and are helpful to spiritual people by supporting the educational purpose of life in the Buddhist perspective.”

It makes sense, if we live in poverty and if we constantly look for money for our day to day survival, we won’t be able to progress in our spiritual growth and more importantly we are unable to help other.

The purpose of practicing wealth rituals or wearing or carrying amulets with high wealth effect like the Vajrapani Ruel, Surangama Mantra Amulet or the Traditional Sutra Amulets or wealth amulets like the Vaisravana – Dzambhala Wealth Amulet is mainly to provide the means to help oneself and others. Its purpose is not to live a life of luxury but it’s to remove the obstacle to the spiritual practice like eliminating poverty, which is certainly a hindrance.

This reminds me of people like Nanay Socorro Ramos (of the famous National Bookstore) or Bill Gates, or some of my readers like the one in Malaysia or Davao (BM) who despite of being really rich, they maintain a humble and most of all they benefit other people with their wealth. They use their money to help other people.

Now is there anything wrong in wanting to get rich, have money and become wealthy? Well, Buddhism says if the intention is pure, then there is nothing wrong with it.

You can read the following posts to know more about the Vaisravana _ Dzambhala Wealth Amulet: